Ribs on the grill? Beef or pork?

[BLACKJACK]

My wife likes ribs on the grill, we like the babyback ribs, nice and big and meaty, it gives me a nice afternoon project when we're camping, but sometimes it seems like I'm trying to 'render the fat' off more than just grilling. Even after the rendering they're still pretty fatty. Was looking in the meat case yesterday and saw some beef ribs, both with the bone in and boneless, actually the boneless ribs looked more like strips of roast. What kind of ribs do you buy?

As far as cooking, I normally just grill them until they look well done, then put the barbecue sauce on them during the last 20 minutes, on a lower heat so it doesn't burn. How do you do your ribs?

[Coach Dog]

I stay with the pork baby backs or back ribs. I try to stock up when they are on sale because they get pricy if they are not on sale. Cook on about 200 degrees for about 3 hours with the skin side down. I leave the skin on, but some prefer to take it off. I make 2 racks at a time. I put a rub on them first. Famous Dave'e has a good rub you can buy in the grocery store, but I'm sure a lot of guys have their own and if you search previous posts I think some people have shared their rub recipes. Put bbq sauce on the last 20 minutes and enjoy. Leftovers are just as good! I want to buy a smoker and try that. Again, serach old posts because this has been discussed before and I believe there are pictures of some in a smoker that will make your mouth water.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'm not a fan of pork, but I love pork ribs. I have a couple of friends that work in the local pig factory so when they have a company sale they get me some ribs.

I bake them in the oven, with water, for about 20 minutes. I think this helps them stay good and juicy and not dry out on the grill. Then I grill them. No rub or any fancy stuff. I smear some BBQ sauce on them and my whole family loves it.

For me, less is more. This is a simple way for me to make ribs and we like them.

[blacksportsman]

Quote:

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I bake them in the oven, with water, for about 20 minutes. I think this helps them stay good and juicy and not dry out on the grill. Then I grill them. No rub or any fancy stuff. I smear some BBQ sauce on them and my whole family loves it.

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When I used to do ribs regularly (once a week), I prepared them in a similar fashion. I'd start with a rack of pork back ribs or spare ribs and seasoned them well with plain ol' seasoning salt and pepper. I'd then throw 'em in a roasting pan with just enough water to cover the bottom and put them in the oven on 350 for about 30 mins. Finally, I'd finish the ribs on the charcoal kettle grill, slathering them in BBQ sauce when they were nearly done.

I'm all for keeping it simple and never had any complaints from friends or family when I made my ribs this way.

[thirdeye]

Blackjack,

About an hour before I fire up the pit I peel the membrane off the back of the rack, then paint the meaty side with a light coating of yellow mustard with a few splashes of wooster. This is a good anchor for my rub, which gets applied next. The ribs go back to the fridge until it is time to cook.

The next thing I make is a mop or baste. Apple juice is my base and I add some cider vinegar, wooster, olive oil and some of the rub I'm using on the ribs. This gets warmed in a small pan to dissolve the rub.

I set-up for an indirect cook and make a boat out of foil to hold the ribs. The foil will also trap the baste. Grate temp is 250° to 270°. I cook the ribs, meat side up for about 2-1/2 to 3 hours with a gentle smoke until they look like this. I baste every 30 minutes after the first hour.

At this point they have good color and smoke flavor but are not as tender as I want. I take another piece of doubled up foil large enough to make a sealed pouch for the ribs. The ribs come off the pit and get some honey and brown sugar on the meat side only. This side goes DOWN on the foil and I make a pouch, but before sealing one of the ends, I add 2 ounces of apple juice to the pouch. The pouch gets cooked for 1 hour at the same pit temp. This braises the ribs and makes them tender. If you want to use your cooker for something else during this time, use your oven for the ribs. At the end of the hour, open the pouch and evaluate the tenderness.

Here is where your personal touch comes into play. I like to serve ribs with sauce at the table, so I take them out of the foil, lightly re-season and carefully return to my pit for 30 minutes or so. A second option is to turn the ribs meat side up in the pouch, leave the foil open, add sauce and go another 15 minutes. You can also take them out of the foil and go back on the grill for saucing. Or, if you want real fall-off-the-bone ribs, re-seal the pouch for 30 more minutes or until they are where you want them.

Here is the way I like them. Moist and tender dry ribs (meaning no sauce) with a rub crust. I serve sauce at the table.

By the way, these can be done all in the oven. Just use a roasting pan with a rack instead of a barbecue pit. They will be great, just without the smoke flavor.

[thirdeye]

I forgot to mention that if you have the chance to buy bison ribs, give them a try. They are lean, but very meaty. You can see from the before and after pictures they do shrink (especially when in the foil pouch) and pull back on the bomes. They have great flavor, just keep an eye on the moistness factor so they don't dry out.

[Hammer Handle]

I like beef and pork ribs about equal.

Well, maybe pork a little more....

I like to boil the ribs the day before I grill. I boil them for about an hour and add a little liquid smoke to the water. This will cook them and get them nice and tender. Then I apply rub (when they cool) and let them sit in the frig over night.

The next day I grill them. Then actually grilling is done rather quickly. Great to bring to the lake and grill quickly in between fishing!

[Coach Dog]

Looks awesome Third Eye!

[BLACKJACK]

Looks great!!! I'm ready to go out and buy some bison ribs today!!!! Thanks for the tips on technique!!! I'm going to have to incorporate the foil into my rib grilling. Going camping over the 4th, ribs will be on the menu!